The early days.

Posted on Apr 11, 2016

Incorporated in 1991, the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury is comprised of the former towns of Bradford, West Gwillimbury and a small portion of the Town of Tecumseth. It also indulges the communities of Bond Head, Coulson’s Hill, Deerhurst, Dunkerson, Green Valley, Newton Robinson and Pinkerton.

Early settlement is dated back to the late 1700s; by 1819 a rise in Scottish migrants settled in the region after abandoning their homes in the Red River Settlement (Manitoba). The area was established is the Scotch Settlement within Simcoe County.

Named for Bradford, England, the village of Bradford was incorporated in 1857. Destroyed by a fire in 1871 the village was quickly rebuilt two years later and gained a surge in population. The region operated economically on agriculture and saw mills.

Much of the grain was sought after from the Holland Marsh known for its fertile soil. Nearly 3,000 hectares of land were settled by the Dutch in the 30s. The 18 families developed a prosperous agricultural community. The settlement grew to include migrants from Europe and Asia after World War II.

Another small settlement in the region was the hamlet of Bond Head. Named to honour Sir Francis Bond Head, a British Army Soldier, world traveller, author and Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. Considered one of the oldest hamlets in the Simcoe County, the Irish and British were the first to settle the region in the 1820s. A rapidly developing region providing the services of blacksmiths, wagon makers, and inns, the region boasted entertainment clubs for its residents and by 1851 also had the first paved road in the county.